Stocking top and method of knitting



April 1944- l. H. c. GREEN ET.AL.

STOCKING TOP AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Feb. 14, 1958 EYES/70,23 [24140367 G'REEM 27/4 5415 Jrfizmez; By f TQ WW ATTiyT Patented Apr. 4, 19 .4

- STOCKING TOP AND METHOD OF KNITTING Isaac H. C. Green, Central Falls, and Eugene St.

Pierre, Pawtucket, Company, Central Massachusetts R. 1., assignors to Hemphill Falls, R. I., a corporation oi" Application February 14, 1938, Serial No. 190,516

.. 4 Claims.

This invention concerns a method of knitting the beginning edge of a stocking top wherein rubber is incorporated, and the article produced thereby. In many types of hosiery, includi g anklets, half-hose, children's hosiery and the li e, elastic yarns such as the well-known Lastex are being incorporated to form a welt which will resemble a .rib top and at the same time, will serve as a garter. Such stockingtops must be run-on or started on the needles so as to present a non-rave] or fast edge and an edge which will be pleasing in appearance and strong enough to withstand practical usage. The present invention involves a beginning edge for such a stocking top wherein unusual strength, smooth appearance and resistance to curling are realized.

In the figures of drawing: I

Fig. 1 shows a typical half-hose and the general appearance of such amock rib top the same being shown in a conventional manner;

Figs. 2-5 are diagrammatic views illustrating the consecutive steps employed to start and complete the first few courses of the fabric including the beginning edge and a few courses in addi tion thereto;

Fig. 7 is a view showing a section of the fabric at the beginning edge and a few courses in addition thereto, the same being shown greatly enlarged and more open than in the actual fabric; the fabric is shown at the face side while in the previous Figs. 4-6, the back of the fabric is shown as it is cast off.

In various types of hosiery it is now customary to knit the top orwelt portion as plain orjersey fabric and to incorporate a rubber or elastic yarn in various ways. For example, the said elastic yarn may be taken in the hooks of needles and knitted at spaced wales in spaced courses throughout the top or welt. The rubber yarn is introduced under considerable tension, or at least under suflicient tension so that when released, it will contract and will draw together those wales in which it is held so as to cause the fabric to crinkle or to assume an appearance that resembles rather closely a rib fabric, Another method of introduction is that of feeding the rubber or elastic yarn to spaced Wales, or the needles knitting those wales, below the latches thereof in which case the yarn will be thrown off but will be held at certain sinker wales, the result being very much the same in either of these instances. This latter method is termed inlaybe incorporated at various intervals depending ing. The rubber or elastic may be taken in alternate needles and in alternate courses, or may uponthe machine, whether the yarn is taken within the hooks, or below the latches, or upon other considerations,

At the beginning edge it is desirable to introduce the elastic yarn as soon as possible since curling of the fabric is thereby prevented to a degree and the appearance of the selvage rendered more smooth.

Now referring to the figures of drawing, a stocking indicated at I has the usual toe 2, heel 3 and welt or top 4. The said welt or top is characterized by vertical lines indicating the ribs and horizontal lines indicating the courses in which the elastic yarn is incorporated. Of course, the elastic yarn does not show at the face of the fabric, but horizontal, spaced courses are hereby indicated so as to convey an impression of about the amount of elastic which goes into the top so that the same may be rendered riblike in appearance and will also exert that restraining effect necessary to serve as a garter.

Due to the fact that practical machines for knitting such a stocking top and stocking as herein shown must be made having a restricted number of moves, or, to express it in other words, since moves are not available every course but at spaced courses only, the elastic yarn is actually taken in the hooks of needles throughout one course more'than is necessary. That step is 11- lustrated in this case as a more or less necessary feature due to machine restrictions. However, it may be borne in mind that if a machine were available for providing a move at every course rather than at every two courses, the first step in the method herein disclosed would not We essential. Also, the first course of waste rubber yarn which must later be cut out of the fabric would not be present.

In Figs. 2-6 we have illustrated diagrammatically what is happening in each of several courses at the beginning of knitting. Needles are indicated in Fig. 2 wherein the alternate needles indicated at 5, "I, 9 and I I are taking an elastic yarn in their hooks. The elastic yarn is passing behind the intermediate needles 6, 8, I0, I2 and I4. Said elastic yarn is indicated by numeral I5. Hereinafter we shall designate the alternate needles by odd numbers and the intermediate needles by even numbers. In the machine the elastic yarn is preferably to be fed to the needles at a point somewhat in advance of the main feeding station, this yam being introduced by a swinging yarn finger or any feeding means capable of being moved to and from a feeding position. Needles will be selected at that position in accordance with a desired scheme. In this instance the alternate or odd numbered needles would be selected by any suitable selecting or rieedle raising mechanism and would be raised }fsufficiently high to take the elastic yarn in their hooks, that yarn then passing in back of the intermediate needles in a manner Well-known to those skilled in the art. The machine may takemany different forms and we are not concerned in this case with any specific type of mechanism since the same have become well-known at this time, and, the method and fabric being disclosed, the choice or construction of a machine would not entail serious difficulties.

We will refer to that course knitted at Fig. 2 as course A. It is to be borne in mind that these Figs. 2-6 are introduced in the case mainly to illustrate the various steps in the processes of knitting, and that when the fabric of Fig. 7 is described, it may not be possible to identify these courses described by way of process as separate and distinct courses in the knitted fabric.

In Fig. 3, the second course B, the same elastic yarn I5 is again taken within the hooks of the odd numbered needles just as in the first revolution of the machine. The needles are actually knitting and the first course of rubber will be cast off. At this particular time that first course of rubber will not be entirely free from the needles since the bights of the same which are behind the even numbered needls will lie below the new yarn passing behind those same needles. In other words, the first course of rubber taken will be temporarily held by being pinched or restrained by the rubber taken at the second course.

Now referring to Fig. 4 wherein course C is illustrated, the odd numbered needles will be differently controlled to take the elastic yarn below their latches rather than in their hooks. In other words, we change from knitting this elastic yarn to laying it in. The selecting mechanism or the needle raising mechanism as it is sometimes called, will be so controlled as to raise needles throughout an additional height at the point where the elastic yarn is taken. At the main feeding station a plain or base yarn in contrast to the rubber yarn and indicated at l6, will be fed to all the needles. This yarn I6 is introduced to the hooks of the needles and knits in the usual way. The second course of rubber taken at course B will be cast off the odd numbered needles: and it is at this time that the first course of rubber taken at course A is actually freed from the fabric. It will drop from the needles and may be cut off later as a subsequent operation.

\At Fig. 5, course D, the plain yarn I6 is again taken by all the needles, but no rubber yarn is taken at this particular course. The plain yarn which was taken at course C will be cast off and it is at this time that the beginning edge or selvage is actually completed. Two courses of rubber IS, the first of which was taken in the hooks of needles and the second of which was laid below the latches of needles will be held between sinker loops ll of the fabric.

In Fig. 6, course E, the alternate or odd numbered needles again take the elastic yarn fed below their latches, and at the main feed, all needles take the plain yarn 16. From this point on the elastic will be inlaid as in this course E at every other course. The sequence might be varied so that the elastic could be taken at every course, or at every third or fourth course, this all depending upon the amount of elastic desired,

the length of the top, siderations; for; these changes the selection and manipulation of needles and rubber yarn feeding means must be varied accordingly. In the particularp illustration shown the odd numbered needles are-the only ones which are selected, and these are? always selected throughout the knitting of the top. This makes it unnecessary to provide selection for different needles at the beginning edge from that which prevails throughout the remainder of the top or welt. Of course the beginning edge may be knitted as herein disclosed and the remainder of the welt may be knitted by incorporating rubber on different needles, or by knitting it in contrast to inlaying, such knitting being spaced any desired number of wales or courses. v{.Ihe only change in so far as selection of needles is concerned, and so far as the knitting of the beginning edge is concerned, is that of first raising the alternate needles to take the rubber yarn in their hooks and'thereafter raising them to a height sufiicient to take that yarn below their latches.

Now referring-to Fig. 7, a conventional illustration of the finished edge and of the next following c'ourses of the fabric is shown. Wales I8, 20 and 22' are knitted by the even numbered needles while wales l9, 2|, 23 and 25 are knitted by the odd numbered or so-called alternate needles. The sinker loops H are shown passing about the two courses of rubber l5 which are fed at B and C. It is to be noted that the two courses of rubber lose their identity as separate or distinct courses and eventually appear merely as rubber yarn passing through the sinker'loops of the first knitted course of plain yarn. This gives a fast edge and an edge which is exceptionally strong, smooth and straight in its appearance and resistant to curling.

The fabric following the beginning edge consists of intermediate courses knitted of plain yarn only and alternate courses in which the rubber I5 is incorporated. The rubber yarn in these alternate courses is inlaid and is held at the even numbered wales, being pinched between parts of a needle and sinker loop in a, manner well-known. The fabric is shown much enlarged and somewhat extended in this Fig. 7, but due to the tension in the elastic yarn, the same would be drawn together and would appear very much like a rib top especially when the rubber is contracted.

Slight changes may appear to those skilled in the art that will fall within the scope of the original invention. The invention is not limited 0therwise than by the terms of the claims appended hereto.

The stocking top and selvage produced by the metiigd described and claimed herein are descri d and claimed in a divisional a #516,004, filed December 29, 1943. pphcatmn We claim:

1. A method of knitting the beginning edge of a stocking including the steps of feeding a rubber yarn to the hooks of alternate needles for one course, feeding said yarn below the latches of alternate needles for the next following course and a plain yarn to all the needles during that course, and thereafter feeding a plain yarn to all the needles and casting oil the rubber and plain yarn taken in previous courses.

2. A method of knitting a stocking top com- I prisinga beginning selvage including the steps of feeding a rubber yarn to alternate needles for one course, feeding said rubber yarn below the and other practical conlatches of alternate needles and a plain yarn to the hooks of all needles for a second course, then feeding plain yarn throughout the remainder of the top and incorporating rubber yarn in spaced courses and spaced wales therein.

3. A method of knitting the beginning edge of a stocking including the steps of feeding a rubber yarn to alternate needles for one course and at least a portion of another course but not casting said yarn from the needles at that time, thereafter feeding for the next following course a plain yarn to all the needles and then continuing knit ting so that the said rubber and plain yarn taken for the preceding courses will be cast from the needles thereby producing a selvage.

,yarn to the hooks of alternate needles for one course and at least a portion of another course, then feeding for a next following course a plain yarn so that as said plain yarn is drawn into loops on all needles the previously taken rubber yarn will be cast off, and thereafter continuing knitting so'that the previously drawn plain yarn and rubber will be freed from the needles with the rubber yarn passing through loops of the first drawn plain course to constitute a selvage.

ISAAC H. C. GREEN. EUGENE ST. PIERRE. 

